Red Union Fenosa and Gas Natural Fenosa Furnizare Energie asked that the electricity charges should be increased by over 50%, owing mainly to the fluctuations on the currency market. If their request is approved by the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), the end-users will pay 2.58 lei/kWh on average. The subject was discussed in public debates staged by the Agency on March 19.
Gas Natural Fenosa Moldova president Silvia Radu said they accumulated debts of over 1.472 billion lei, 90% of which following the depreciation of the leu over the last three years. “Besides the deviations from the investment plan, as regards the maintenance of networks and the fact that the tariffs haven’t been reviewed over the last three years, a new component appeared, which influences a lot our society, namely the depreciation of the leu, which caused damages of over 1 billion lei. This money should be recovered,” said the company’s president.
Silvia Radu also said that they analyzed the opportunity of reducing the tariff by 10-20% during the year, but the debt of over 1 billion lei is too large and the reduction is not a solution. A three-year period is enough for rehabilitating the energy sector, but the inflation rate, price rises and other factors cannot be forecast.
The ANRE is to examine the opinions stated in the debates and the calculations provided by the supplier and will then take a decision.
The electric power charges were the last time adjusted in May 2012. The tariff for end-users whose installations are connected to up to 0.4 kV voltage networks is now 1.58 lei/kWh.
